Package for books and method of making the same



June 20, 1967 A. c. Born-:L 4 3,325,964 l PACKAGE FOR Booxs AND METHOD oF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed Jan. 15, 1962 25 lu-l.. ZgFIGJ 37 117] l l lll [lll /lJ//l/ l /l/ /l/ l I 1 3 FIG,6

JMMM% nited States Patent O 3,325,964 PACKAGE FR BOOKS ANI) METHOD F IVIAKING THE SAME Arwed C. Boitel, Evanston, Ill., assigner to Alton Box Board Company, Alton, lill., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 166,225, Jan. 15, 1962. rIhis application May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 365,859 Claims. (Ci. 53-32) This disclosure is addressed to paperboard containers, such as might be used for packaging books, phonograph records or other items of a similar character requiring cushioning protection at the corners or ends of the package. More particularly, the present disclosure is a continuation of my copending application Ser. No. 166,225, filed Jan. 15, 1962, now abandoned, which was a continuationin-part of my copendin'g application Ser. No. 59,041, filed Sept. 28, 1960, now Patent No. 3,094,267, issued June 18, 1963.

In said patent, there is described a paperboard blank, which is wrapped about an article as a sleeve, and whose end walls are set back within the ends of the sleeve. An elongate generally rectangular sheet is scored to define four main panels for the sides, top and bottom of the package plus an end flap which is adapted to overlap with the opposite end of the blank to form the sleeve. The blank further has longitudinal marginal portions, which are folded in and glued to the rnain panels, thereby to provide double thicknesses at the ends of the sleeve. An extension from an infolded margin forms a recessed end wall and an end-wall retaining flap. The end walls necessarily are set back within the Sleeve leaving outwardly opening pocket-like formations at the ends of the package.

The present disclosure is addressed to an improved wrapper affording considerably greater cushioning protection without unduly increasing the amount of paperboard required. As before, the wrapper has side, top and bottom walls joined together by a glue flap at one end of the blank to form a sleeve. Also, the margins at the ends of the wrapper are scored and adapted `for folding. One of the larger panels, for example the bottom panel, has marginal portions folded inwardly over the bottom panel, thence upwardly to the top panel, and then outwardly over the top panel, thereby to provide a recessed inner end wall and an end-wall retainer flap, which may be glued to the top panel. In the aforesaid application, the other main panel (the top panel) had merely a margin which was folded inwardly and glued down. In the present instance, the portion projecting from the ends of the other main panel (the top panel) is folded across the otherwise open end of the pocket and has a llap glued down to the exterior of the bottom panel, thereby forming a closed pocket or a box-like end section of considerable rigidity.

Other features of the invention will be in part apparent from and in part pointed out in the following detailed description taken in connection with accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a plan View of a sheet of corrugated paperboard, which has been cut and scored in accordance with this disclosure, certain glue areas being indicated by a stippling;

FIG. 2. is a perspective view of the finished package;

FIG. `3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the nished wrapper on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view somewhat similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating a preliminary step in the folding operation;

FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4 illustrating a next step in the folding and gluing operation; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating a further step in the folding operation.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an elongate sheet of corrugated paperboard with the corrugations ice thereof extending in the longitudinal direction of the sheet or blank. The sheet is scored transversely along lines 1 to deline a pair of relatively wide main panels 3 and 5 and a pair of relatively narrow main panels 7 and 9. For purposes of description, the panel 3 will be referred to as the bottom panel, the panel 5 will be referred to as the top panel and the panels 7 and 9 shall be referred to as side panels. The side panel 9 at one end of the blank further has a glue flap 11, which is adapted to be glued to the opposite margin of the blank to form a sleeve, and the glue tlap 11 may further have a tongue 13 to facilitate opening or release of this glue connection, when the package is to be opened.

The bottom panel 3 has narrow marginal panels extending from its ends and these panels are defined by fold lines extending longitudinally of the blank. First longitudinal fold lines 15 and next fold lines 17 define therebetween marginal portions 19, adapted to be folded back and glued down to the adhesive areas 20 at the ends of panel 3. Next fold lines 21 define panels 23, which are adapted to extend at right angles to the main panel 3 and form inner recessed end walls. The portions 25 lying outwardly of fold lines 21 are adapted to be folded outwardly and glued to the areas 27 of the top panel 5 as retainer flaps. It will also be noted that there is a small flap 29 hinged to each end of the narrow side wall 7 and to the panels 19, these corner portions 29 being folded inwardly and glued down to the ends of the side wall 7.

The top panel 5 has fold lines 31 and 33 defining therebetween outer end wall panels 35 and glue aps 37 lying outwardly of the fold line 33. The panels 35 are folded at right angles to the panel 5 and extend across the ends of the package. The width of a panel 35 is approximately equal to the width of an inner end-wall panel 23 plus twice the thickness of the board from which the blank is made. The flaps 37 are folded over and glued to the exterior surface of the bottom wall 3.

Accordingly, there is a double-wall hollow end construction at each end of the package, this construction providing considerable rigidity and cushioning protection to minimize crushing of the contents.

In preparing Ia blank, it will be understood that the size and shape thereof is correlated with the article to be packaged, As in my prior application aforesaid, the main (top and bottom) panels are of a shape and size substantially equal to one major dimension of the contained article, but greater than another major dimension, depending upon the amount of cushioning protection desired. Referring to FIG. 5, the space between the opposite sub-panels 23 should correspond to one rnajor dimension of the contained item, while the other major dimension corresponds to the distance between fold lines 1 on panel 5.

It is contemplated that this particular blank would be set up and glued on machinery. Various procedures might be followed, but one that is recommended involves moving the blank in its longitudinal direction through a series of glue-applying devices and ap folders. Glue is first applied as continuous stripes at the adhesive areas 2t) and 27 on the panels 3 `and 5. These continuous stripes may also extend across the ends of the iside panels 7 yand 9. A first step would be to fold the panels 19 upon the adhesive -areas 20. The panels 23 are then folded upwardly and the outer flaps 25 are folded outwardly, whereupon the side wall 7 is folded upwardly and the panel 5 is folded over into engagement with the flaps 25, the adhesive area 27 forming an adhesive connection between the ends of panel 5 and the flaps 25. Adhesive may then be applied to the outer end surfaces of panel 3 or to the flaps 27, whereupon the panels 35 are folded down and flaps 37 inwardly into engagement with the ends of panel 3 on the outer surface thereof. The blank may now make a right :angular turn in its direction of movement, adhesive then being applied `along the closure flap 11, whereupon the side wall 9 is folded downwardly and the flap 11 folded over into adhesive engagement with the exterior surface of the panel 3. Since the panels 37 and 11 all lie on the exterior surface of the panel 3, it is desirable to provide beveled corners 41 at the ends of fiaps 37 and beveled corners 43 at the ends of the glue flap 11.

In making a wrapper so that it can be first glued as a tube and its ends then closed, it may be desirable to provide an extra fold line inwardly of but adjacent and parallel to each fold line 15 opposite each panel 19, and to provide cuts angled inwardly from the ends of line 15 to the extra inset fold line. One can then bend the ends of panel 3 outwardly to facilitate infolding of panels 19. The flaps 37 should cover these bendable end portions of panel 3 after the package is finished. The bendable ends of panel 3 are especially desirable if the package is thin-ie., the width of panels 19 is greater than the width of side panels 7 and 9. The location of the extra fold lines across the ends of the panel 3 will therefore depend upon the relative widths of parts 19, 7 and 9, and 37.

The item to be packaged can be conveniently placed `upon the bottom wall 3 just before the top wall 5 is folded over, or the item .might be inserted just before the side 9 is closed. Another yprocedure would be to glue flap 11 to panel 3 to form a tube or sleeve and then close the ends, the contents lbeing inserted before both ends are closed. ln this instance, the adhesive connections 20 and 27 may be omitted, only the fiaps 11 and 37 being secured by adhesive. The above wrapper may be formed of corrugated paperboard, chip board, folding box board, or any other similar foldable sheet material.

Although a preferred embodiment is disclosed, it will be apparent that the package and blank may be modified without departing from the spirit of this disclosure or -the scope of the claims hereinafter vset forth. For example, the panels described as connected at the end of the top panel might be connected to the ends of bottom panel and vice versa. Various other modifications will occur to those skilled in this art.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to `be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In the art of protecting books from damage during transit, the method of wrapping which compri-ses:

(1) providing a flat blank of corrugated paperboard cut and scored to define a bottom wall, a top wall, an intervening side wall foldably connect-ed between said bottom and top walls, an opposite side wall foldably connected to one of said bottom and top walls and having a side glue flap foldably connected thereto, bottom-wall-end-flaps foldably connected to the bottom wall at opposite ends thereof, top-wallend-aps foldably connected at opposite ends of the top wall at fold lines spaced apart a distance greater (by substantially two thicknesses of the paperboard) than the distance between the foldable connections between the bottom wall and its end flaps,

(i) said bottom-wall-enddiaps being subdivided into a re-entrant panel, an interior end wall panel, and a free end panel, all foldably connected together along lines parallel with the foldable connections between said bottom wall and said bottom-wall-end-flaps,

(ii) each of said top-wallfend-flaps being subdi vided into an exterior end wall panel, and an end glue flap, foldably connected along lines parallel with the foldable connection between said top wall and said top-wall-end-fiaps;

(2) moving the fiat blank in a longitudinal direction while successively:

(a) folding the re-entrant panels over upon the bottom wall,

(b) folding the interior end wall panels upwardly in substantially right angular relationship with the bottom wall, and

(c) folding the free end panels outwardly in substantially right angular relationship to the interior end wall panels;

(3) 4placing a book upon the bottom wall between the upturned interior end wall panels;

(4) folding the intervening side wall upwardly relative to `the bottom panel, and folding the top wall over into engagement with the out-turned free end panels;

(5) folding the exterior end wall panels over the ends of the bottom wall, and folding the end glue liaps into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall; and

(6) moving the folded blank at right angles to said longitudinal direction while successively folding said opposite side wall across the space rbetween the bottorn and top walls, and folding the side glue iiaps over into engagement with, and securing the same to, the exterior surface of the bottom wall.

2. The method of wrapping an article that comprises providing a wrapper cut and scored to have top, bottom and side forming main panels, the bottom forming main panel of which has first, second and third end forming panels and the top forming main panel of which has fourth and fifth end forming panels, the side main panels and the second and fourth end forming panels all being of about the same width; folding the first, second and third end forming panels relatively to the bottom forming panel to form opposite recessed end walls, placing an article to be wrapped upon the bottom forming main panel, thereafter folding the side and top forming main panels about the article, and thereafter folding the fourth and fifth end forming panels about the ends of the ymain panels.

3. In the art of protecting books from damage during transit, the method of wrapping which comprises:

(l) providinga fiat blank of corrugated paperboard scored to define a top panel, a bottom panel, and side panels, each panel being foldably connected to at least one other panel, said bottom panel having two end portions respectively foldably connected thereto at parallel fold lines spaced from each other a distance substantially greater than the maximum dimension of said book, said end portions each being folded back at said fold lines to provide a double thickness for a substantial distance away from said fold lines, said substantial distance at each end being not more than about one half of the difference between the distance separating said fold lines and the maximum dimensionof said book, said` end porl tions each having:

(a) a second fold line parallel with the first-mentioned fold lines and spaced therefrom said substantial distance;

(b) a third fold line parallel with said second fold line and spaced therefrom a distance corresponding substantially to the width of said side panels minus twice the thickness of said paperboard;

(c) a section projecting beyond said third fold line for a distance approximately the same as said substantial distance;

(2) folding the end portions upwardly about their respective second fold lines; (3) placing the book on they bottom panel between the tip-,folded end portions, and then (4) folding and securing the side and top panels about the book.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said end portions are folded toward the end about said third fold line prior to the folding of the side and top panels'about the book.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the wrapper has a References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Block 229-27 Carter 229-39 Morris 53207 Caine et a1. 206-46 Graeseil et a1 53-32 Ringler 206-5 3 Guyer 53-32 Johnson 229`40 Mairs 229-40 Boitel 229-40 Layne 229-40 Skaggs 229-40 Hayes 229-87 TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

10 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER,

JR., FRANK E. BAILEY, Examiners.

D. T. MOORHEAD, L. S. BOUCHARD,

Assistant Examiners. 

2. THE METHOD OF WRAPPING AN ARTICLE THAT COMPRISES PROVIDING A WRAPPER CUT AND SCORED TO HAVE TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE FORMING MAIN PANELS, THE BOTTOM FORMING MAIN PANEL OF WHICH HAS FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD END FORMING PANELS AND THE TOP FORMING MAIN PANEL OF WHICH HAS FOURTH AND FIFTH END FORMING PANELS, THE SIDE MAIN PANELS AND THE SECOND AND FOURTH END FORMING PANELS ALL BEING OF ABOUT THE SAME WIDTH; FOLDING THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD END FORMING PANELS RELATIVELY TO THE BOTTOM FORMING PANEL TO FORM OPPOSITE RECESSED END WALLS, PLACING AN ARTICLE TO BE WRAPPED UPON THE BOTTOM FORMING MAIN PANEL, THEREAFTER FOLDING THE SIDE AND TOP FORMING MAIN PANELS, ABOUT THE ARTICLE, AND THEREAFTER FOLDING THE FOURTH AND FIFTH END FORMING PANELS ABOUT THE ENDS OF THE MAIN PANELS. 